Ethersync

I've been talking with a lot of studios and models lately specifically asking them how the biz is now. I'm also asking them specifically about sites like they and the different problems they have with them. I've learned a lot so far and we are nowhere close to being done with our research...

Yes, without question studios and models are having a much tougher time making money now. The dollar is down 50% in like 5 years to the Euro and this has put many studios out of business. The problem is bigger than that though.

Part of the problem is that it seems that it is very difficult to make good money working exclusively on one site so studios have their models work on as many sites as their computers can handle at the same time using software like splitcam or manycam. The problem with this is that the members don't get as good of an experience because the models have so many site windows open that it is hard for them to work so most just sit and wait for a member to enter private and don't put much effort in free chat and for the sites that allow guests to chat the models spend now effort whatsoever in converting them. In fact I think that this treatment will do the exact opposite and cause guests not to join the site from what I have seen myself. I am not criticizing the models here so much. The reality of the business now is that 90% of the models who work on cam need to work on at least 4 to make enough money and many work on more than 10 names at the same time often on more than one site at the same time. Some will even have more than one computer with video feeds going.

I have heard the opposite about Webcams specifically from many many studios and models that I have spoken with about this. From many sources I have heard that models on the first page earn good, but if they are on pages 2 to the end they earn terrible. Sometime it will be a few hours before they even see one member. So while you may have 500 models on any time only the handful at the top of the site earn enough to work on one site exclusively.

Also I have read on forums for studios and models that there are many broadcasters boycotting your site entirely because of how badly you treat models there. For example they say they choose to have you filter visitors in their home countries, but this is not done in reality. A guest can enter any models room in countries the model has told you to filter and you say you are filtering for them. Even more infuriating for them is that you give away free porno video clips of their private chats and do not filter them as you promise when they register. I have read many stories on forums about this problem and it seems many naive models have had devastating personal problems from this. I have spoken to the manager and owner of one studio in Russia that had a model commit suicide when her fiance and his family found several videos of her publicly on your site. I've sent some people that work for me to this town to dig deeper into the story. I may have some videotaped interviews soon.

Here is where the free model videos are....
http://www.webcams.com/index.php?page=movie_galleries

I don't understand the logic behind giving visitors thousands of free videos of your models.

I have found that to be completely untrue as well. Most do not and if they did require exclusivity it would put them out of business from what I hear.

More specifics about sites...

Spread4u had a terrible java based chat system that caused many problems for models. Their new flash system has connection problems I hear. Also their rules are very strange I have been told. I'm also told their support staff is probably from India or something because they sometimes understand English worse than the models on the site. My research indicates that this site more trouble than it is worth. Too many stupid rules, too much buggy software and very little traffic now. This site doesn't seem very profitable for any performers.

LiveJasmine made their payout percentage smaller and now are trying to push users to use a chat application that requires downloading and does not work with splitcam so it prevents models from being on more than one site. Models that use the flash software on the site get slower video and put in a bad place on the site. Most models that use the software that must be downloaded have faster video, but do not earn near enough money. These changes I hear is why Webcams has so many models now. They left LiveJasmine. Also models hate how many guests there are on the site.

ImLive just cut the percentage they pay models again and are very strict about rules. This seems to be a site that some models can earn OK on but most do not. Also ImLive has terrible chat software I am told. It is some combination of Flash and JavaScript and it constantly crashes their browser and causes problems with other sites. Studios are limited to 10 models at first too. If they email support they may get permission to add more models, but most don't even bother with this and register all their models as individual models and not under a studio account. Another reason for this is that ImLive has blocked entire studios for 1 model breaking rules in the past. Registering each model independently gives the studios protection from a stupid model getting their studio blocked.

iFriends is dead from what I hear from almost all models. There was a good program made in Russia that let models use many accounts at the same time. I am told that iFriends has made some big updates to their system that broke the software and this has put many studios out of business who used them exclusively on 10 accounts simultaneously. The programmers that made this program had a falling out with the Russian company that distributed and sold the software to studios and will not update it. Also, I heard there was some problem with the Russian owned US company that cashed the checks for hundreds of studios and models in Eastern Europe.

Naked.com I don't know much about yet. Simply that some models are very angry that they have not been paid money that was promised to them. Also their support is terrible I have heard from many people. For some time they didn't even have stats for models I read.

The information above is culled from our notes. I have a team of people doing research into this in 4 countries and everything will be compiled into a report. We will be digging deep into every site in the business. I may make the report public when it's finished. Certainly parts will be...